The Secret War
by Lyrium eidolon
Summary: The Hundred Year War had ended long ago, but a hidden war has never ceased. One blessed child could be all that stands between a free world and people dancing to the whims of puppeteers hidden in the shadows, but can the child gather the strength to fight against the darkness?
1. Chapter 1: Dawn

**Author's note:** There has been one thing I have just been itching to write in the Avatar universe, but I think it can only really be done in Legend of Korra.

**Disclaimer:** The following is a non-profit fan-based piece of fiction. The Legend of Korra was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

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Chapter 1: Dawn

One of the earliest things I remembered from my early childhood was that strange island. I never understood why: the rest of my infancy was a blur. Yet for some reason, that strange island always remained as clear as the glass that adorned the windows of my house in the Fire Nation. Every time I tried to ask about it to my mother and father, I would always be told off by them saying "Teo, that island is just your imagination" or "There is no such thing as a moving island. Teo", in raised or even booming voices if I persisted. One major thing I didn't understand was the look of sickness that would cross their faces when I asked this, a feeling described by my father as 'having to swallow a Waterbender's water'; a look of utter disgust, only in response to a child's curiosity. Why were they so angry about that?

I would remember that particular dream: I was alone on a beach by my house during the night, and I saw a large, forested island drifting towards me on the sea. In the moonlight, I could clearly sea the leaves of the trees glistening, and the seas rippling. I wanted to meet that island, shake its tree's roots (how else could you shake hands with an island? It has no hands to shake) and, I remembered my father shaking hands with various people before talking. I wanted to try it, but maybe say hello to the island, ask it if it was called anything, if it could take me to Whale-tail Island, or if that island was even its friend.

The island got closer to me, and it got far, far larger... I was sure even Father would just be a little baby in its hands. To this day, it was the largest thing I had ever seen, and I was even more amazed when the island crashed on the waters by the beach, where I had crawled to. It rose an arm out of the water, its color indescribable as it had blocked out the moonlight. Its hand came closer to my head, and soon, my entire face felt a large thing pressing against it. I couldn't see anything; not even when a green light forced me to close my eyes.

When it pulled its arm back into the water, I saw the island's eyes looking at me; asking me to do something. Before I could find it in me to speak, the island had already turned around and started, swimming away. I can hear that island's thoughts ringing in my head every night when I go to sleep, but I can never make sense of them. That island's thoughts were-

"Teo, get down here, your meal is getting cold!" Mother's voice interrupted my train of thought, as I sat up in my bed after lying down for the past few minutes. It was like they could see into my mind when they weren't even in the same room as me; every time I try to remember those island's words, I keep getting reminded of something. Nothing for it; I sat up and saw in the glass of the window my own messed up soot-black hair spread all over my face. Father always insisted that I tie up my hair into a minuscule bun, so that at least I would look presentable. Always, I had pulled my hair back and tied a bit of string about it, so as to avoid looking like what he called those 'uncivilised Water Tribals'.

Once I had tied back my hair, I went downstairs to the laden table, where my Father, a tall man with a stiff expression and hair tied back in a similar fashion to my own except his bun was a little larger and failed to stop some hair falling behind his back. "'Another member of the Equalists has been jailed in connection with Anti-Bending terrorism'. For Amon's sake, when will these benders learn?" he spoke, with a large paper in front of him.

"Wait a second Chen, who arrested them?" asked Mother, a woman nearly as tall as Father, which while her black hair was styled in the same way as his and mine, it was still flowing down to her shoulders like a river.

"Well, Li, it looks like they were caught by the Metalbending Police Force... again."

"So those benders are actively oppressing those who want to be free of them again. They are getting more predictable by the year."

"Mother, Father," I asked, "...why are these benders oppressing these people?"

"Because they are monsters," Mother tells me. "They have powers over the earth, fire and water. The only thing that most benders can't control is air, and that is because Firelord Sozin killed all the Airbenders."

"Aren't there good benders?"

"No such thing exists, Teo."

"Not even the Avatar?"

"Especially not the Avatar. That creature can bend all four elements."

"So benders are unstoppable and all evil?"

"Yes. The only thing which can take down a bender is another bender."

"Isn't the Avatar supposed to bring justice to the world?"

"No, Teo," Father spoke. "The Avatar brings balance to the world if the legends are to be believed, but they still proliferate bending and the oppression that comes with that."

"Pro-lif-freight?"

"Proliferate. Make bigger. Now be quiet and eat your food."

The way he spoke, he seemed to be mad at me. So did Mother. Whenever I asked about bending, they always got mad, and after a while, they would tell me to be quiet. We ate in silence, with Father only telling Mother about something in the paper. It gave me time to think about the island's thoughts. It seemed to be asking me to, when I saw the green light, use the ability of wielding the four human-made elements to... I couldn't really understand anything more at the time, so I just ate while Father and Mother talked with each other. I never took part in any conversations when they told me to be quiet after I asked a few questions; they didn't seem to want to let me.


	2. Chapter 2: Sparks

Chapter 2: Sparks

I walked out of my house that day to leave for school feeling confused. Mother and Father seemed to want me to believe that benders are all evil people, but some part of me feels that this isn't true. Not everyone with magical powers is a bad person, right? I never understood why my parents, who encourage me to be more open-minded when I complain about how the school homework is useless or how the dancing lessons are painful and confusing, suddenly try to make me believe that every bender is evil, no matter where you look. It didn't make any sense.

I just kept walking away from my house in the midst of a slight jungle, down the dirt road that led to the main town and the school that came with it. The same day, the same walk, the same ritual of putting foot after foot and walking in between the trees with my bag slung over my back, and the same repetition day after day, week after week. I would emerge from the thicket of trees, go into school, attend lessons, take notes, take punches to my stomach from bender children, take more notes, take the same route home in the evening... it got really dreary at times. I liked that my life had been okay. I mean, it could have been better, but at least I only had comparatively little things to complain about at the time.

Sometimes I wish that things would be more... lively. Especially when I was around six years of age, I would always dream of being someone like Avatar Aang; a child (now) two years my senior (although maybe more accurately 102 years) saving the four nations from the evil tyrant Ozai. I dreamed back then of being the next Avatar, saving the world from evil, but both my parents and peers crushed that dream out of me. My parents threatened to disown me and throw me to a Platypus Bear if I ever tried to become or befriend a bender, and my peers told me that Aang was the last Air Nomad, so in accordance with the cycle of the Avatar being Air, Water, Earth, Fire, the next Avatar would be born in one of the Water Tribes.

My peers were at least kinder about it, but for some reason I was also disliked by many of them, a lot of whom were benders or had a relationship to benders. When I told them that Mother and Father wouldn't like me being friends with people related to benders, they all avoided me for some reason. I heard people sometimes gossip about me being 'a bigot, just like my parents', but I didn't know why. When I asked why they were called bigots, and what bigots were, they just accused me of trying to make friends with bending sympathizers and forbade me from mentioning that word to them again. I remember asking why we lived in a forest on the border of the village, but they just said that it was because we did; it was the quieter place than the alternative.

I still didn't like that I lived completely separate from the people I would be in contact with through the day. I hated the long walk through the woods, and that day I was especially irritable. I am not entirely sure why, but I just felt restless. A few leaves fell from the trees, with one of them landing in my face, and before I knew it, I was holding that very leaf in a clenched fist. I continued to walk through the woods, with my fist still clenching that leaf in a fit of frustration. Why were my teachers more open than my parents, who are reportedly supposed to be people to turn to when I am having a rough time or am confused.

I just kept walking among the trees, trying to breathe deeply and calm down, but it still continued to bug me later. Why did Mother and Father always stop me from talking about bending? Why did they automatically say it was evil? Why did they forbid me from making friends with people related to benders? Why did everyone say I was a bigot? Why did nobody want to be friends with me? I saw everyone else at school, and even in the village, talking to people and being friends with them, while I was just left alone in the dark. I had tried asking about why nobody wanted to be friends with me, and they just told me to blame my parents. When I asked Mother and Father why nobody wanted to be friends with me, they weren't any help either: they didn't want me being friends with those 'monsters' anyway.

So I was left alone. Nobody wanted to talk with me; nobody wanted anything to do with me; nobody wanted to associate with me. Why did my parents not understand that I wanted someone to at least talk to? Sometimes I got the feeling that they didn't care one bit about me, and just had me so they could make me do what they wanted without asking me what I wanted. I don't mean to sound selfish, but very rarely have we ever had some parent-child time together, and it is just them wanting me to live up to their expectations, while I was left sad.

I reached the end of the woods, and my clenched fist started to hurt... but I could also feel something different about what I held. I opened my hand and looked at the palm, but saw only black ash. What happened to the leaf? Last I knew, I was holding a leaf, not a few ashes. I threw the ash pile to the ground, but a few sparks of fire burst from my hand and sprayed onto the grass? What was this? I tried thrusting my palm forward, and a larger spark shoots forward before dissipating? Whatever this magic was, I couldn't wait to show it to Mother and Father.

I continued on my way to the school, walking down the roads after the village gate, wondering what new magic I was wielding. Whatever it was, I thought it was amazing, and maybe Mother and Father would share my joy. Villagers stopped to stare at me when I walked by them; but they looked cross, or like they were about to vomit. I even overheard a few whispers about how 'the bigot smells like smoke' and how I must have 'taken torches and blasting jelly to the governor's residence'.

My day got even more interesting: the dancing lessons that I usually didn't like had become a bit more tolerable. The sparks that came out of my hands, and sometimes my feet, were spraying out around me like I was having my own private festival. The hand thrusts, arm movements, spinning on a leg and such had suddenly gained a beauty with the sparks showering out from me.

"Teo!" the teacher yelled at me. Was he mad at me for having magic powers?

"Yes, sir?" I asked, stopping my spinning.

"Control your bending. I don't want you setting the school on fire!"

"This... this is bending?" This magic was the bending that Mother and Father were so angered by?

"You didn't know? That's Firebending. You sound like you are surprised."

"I am. Mother and Father hate benders, but this is beautiful."

"Teo, I need you to come to my office after class. We have a few things to discuss in private."

"Am I in trouble?" Discussions in private were things I didn't really enjoy; they usually involved how I must change my behavior to be more tolerant (mostly happening after bender children picked on me and beat me up), and then Mother and Father saying when I am at home that I must not speak to any more 'monsters'.

"That depends. Just try to keep things under control."

The dancing lesson carried on, while the teacher left. I continued practising the moves, but for the most part, sparks continued to shoot out. The other people practicing seemed to want to stay as far away from me as possible, as I noticed a wide space open around me.

The lesson ended, and the instructor called me away, taking me to his office. "Is everything okay, sir?" I asked, getting worried due to his look; he looked angry.

"For the most part, I think so, Teo," was his response.

"My other classes... Miss Sai will be angry if I'm late for-"

"Sai has already been notified of what's happened. I've arranged for your teachers to hand you copies of notes when you get back tomorrow, and have cancelled the classes you have for today."

"Why, sir?" This was starting to get very scary.

"You were excessively Firebending during dance today. Thankfully, you were only making sparks, but all the same it's something to watch out for. I am going to need to ask you a couple of things, and I want your full cooperation."

"Yes, sir?"

"How long have you been a Firebender?"

"I only noticed this morning, when a leaf I had in my hand turned to ash when I approached the village. I tried making a few more sparks, but never made much."

"With your past history of bender intolerance, why would you be so enthusiastic about Firebending?"

"Mother and Father just told me that all benders are monsters, and that I shouldn't be friends with such people."

"Well, your attitude is going to have to change. You, a known anti-bending voice among the student population, suddenly displaying bending abilities will have a noticeable backlash. The fact that Chen and Li are known among the whole village as anti-bending advocates is going to put you in a very uncomfortable position."

"Why?"

"You have broken an important school rule, which is to not bend during your lessons unless instructed to do so. Under normal circumstances, if one breaks this rule, we are required to inform the Headmaster and call in the perpetrator's parents."

"Does that mean I'm going to be explod- ex- kicked out?" Now I was starting to feel the onset of terror.

"Expelled? No. In the case of overuse of bending, we are required to call in the parents and have them monitor the rule breaker for three days. If it is determined that he is unable to control his bending, he is given leave from school and given a tutor to help him gain that control, only being brought back once it is determined by the tutor that he can control his powers. If he is able to control his bending when he broke the rules, he is suspended for a time and officially put on notice by the staff. It's only with repeated breaking of that rule or damaging school property with bending that expulsion becomes an option."

"So I'm going to be expelled?"

"No. Even without parental observation, I could tell that you are horribly inexperienced with Firebending. There are going to be complications, though. I haven't yet informed the Headmaster of your rule-breaking, but that's only because I know your parents a little too well."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Chen and Li are known around here for their hatred of benders. While they haven't been actively involved in any terrorist activities, I knew them in the past. Those two would often abuse individual benders for being 'monsters', and eventually when they left school, they moved to live where they are now. While I technically should report you to the Headmaster and summon your parents, it makes my stomach turn to think of what they will do to you if they find out that you are a bender."

"What will happen then?"

"I don't know. All I know is that we need to find you a mentor as soon as we can. Until then, you have to keep your bending to yourself. Do not, under any circumstances, show your parents that you can Firebend."

"So I can't make any more sparks?"

"I'm not saying don't practice, but if you do want to try and Firebend, you cannot let your parents find out."

"But I need to go home. What about my things?"

"We'll find a way, but in the meantime, you have to hide your Firebending from your parents. I'll try and arrange for a tutor for you as soon as I possibly can, but until then, you must endure. The rest of your classes have been cancelled, so you can go straight home, and I've just taken the rest of today off so I can contact a few people."

My dance teacher ended the meeting some time later, but all of this was just too much. I walked back to the edge of the village, and then towards the jungle. I thrust a fist forward, and a few sparks shot out of my knuckles. Again, more sparks shot forth. I walked down the dirt road, punching the air and creating more sparks until I got back to my house... and saw the look of horror on Mother's face as she stood trembling outside the door...

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**End note:** From here, the story gets fairly dark, so for the next chapter, I will be raising the rating to M. Just a slight heads-up.


	3. Chapter 3: Dusk

**Author's note:** A warning that from here on out, the story is going to be quite dark at times. As such, the rating has been increased to M.

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Chapter 3: Dusk

Why did they do that to me? That question was the only thing on my mind that went beyond the feelings of unimaginable pain in my hands. In an instant after Mother saw me, she called Father. Then, a rag was shoved into my mouth and a vegetable sack wrapped around my head, with my hands feeling pressure on the wrists. I couldn't move them at all.

The next instant, it felt like boulders fell upon each of them, and amid my muffled screams, the pressure around my wrists vanished and I was told by one of my parents that I was never allowed back in the house. I heard the door slam, and the amount of pain made me think I didn't have hands. Whatever the case, I didn't know what was happening; all that I knew was that I couldn't see anything, and the only thing I could do was run.

Why did they do this to me? I was their own child! I only felt my feet continually hitting earth as I ran. It felt too painful in my hands, and I couldn't even feel my own fingers. Occasionally, something else would ram my entire body, and it would knock me down.

I tried to find the ground and push myself up, but pressing down with my arms made it hurt even more. I continued putting one foot in front of the other, but after another long while, something tripped me and splashed something watery into my face. Trying to find my footing, I noticed that the water didn't fall to the ground, but just stayed touching my body.

I felt something fiddling with the back of my head once I pushed the water away from me, and after some more of that person's fiddling, my sight was restored to see color again. I saw, as I looked for the source, that a woman with long brown hair tied with four bands into four separate tails was looking at me with a sense of concern in her face. She had jade eyes, and she held the vegetable sack in her hands, with parts soaked with what must have been my tears. She put the bag down and removed the rag from my mouth, finally letting me howl in pain as she hoisted me up from the river I found myself in.

This woman held me by the wrists after sitting me down on the river bank, and she subsequently sank my hands under the water, after which it began glowing. It felt like, as the water glowed, some of the pain was ebbing away. I was still in a lot of pain, but it felt like the water was taking the pain away.

"Just keep your hands underwater," the woman spoke, relinquishing her grip to place her hands over mine. The water glowed even brighter, and the pain was seeping away.

"M-m-mi-miss?" I bumbled, still barely able to form coherent sentences over the remaining pain and shock.

"For now, it's better if you don't speak. Hmm... the damage looks even worse than I thought... Whoever did this was brutal... I've got a bit of news, but I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"Mmm?"

"Your hands are pretty broken. I can heal them for you, but you'll have to stay with me over a period of at least a week."

"A w-week?"

"Damage of this magnitude isn't something I can fix in a day. The best I can do is restore enough of your hands that you don't feel as much pain, but if you are going to make a full recovery from this, you'll need almost constant Waterbending attention. The earliest I can see you walking away from this is in a week's time, but that's if nothing else intrudes."

I couldn't find anything more to say, so I just let this woman continue making the water glow. The pain was slowly going away, but I still couldn't feel my fingers. She just continued working, the water still aglow, and some time later, I was sure everything I had underwater was starting to wrinkle.

"Okay," the woman spoke after a while, "I've managed to heal a bit of the damage, so it shouldn't be painful unless you put pressure on your hands or wrists, but like I said before, you still need a lot of work."

"Thank you, miss..."

"Yue. I run an inn not far from here. What about you?"

"I'm Teo," I took my hands out of the water, and was about to try and push myself up when-

"No, if you do that now, your hands will hurt again, and judging from your enthusiastic scream, it's going to torment you even worse than before. Let me help you." She grabbed on to my arms near the shoulders, and hoisted me to my feet. "Otherwise, do you have a place to stay around here, Teo?"

"No. Mother and Father forbade me from ever returning home. They were the ones who took my ability to see and speak from me!"

"And I'm assuming that they did this to you as well. If you're their son, why would they do that though?"

"I don't know. All I know is that they hate benders, and wanted me to not be or be friends with one!"

"Judging by that- never mind. Like I said before, you still need a lot of work for me to heal those hands. Let me take you back to the inn, and you can recover there."

This Yue person guided my shaking form along a clear forest path until we came to a fairly small, yet slightly tall house with a red-tiled roof, white walls and golden supports. There were a few people talking while sharing what, if I were to guess at the time what they were drinking, would have appeared to be water with bubbles. She took me through the main lounge, past the counter with the drink barrels behind it, up two flights of stairs and to a room labelled 'Innkeeper Yue'. When she opened the door, I saw a few scrolls scattered here and there, along with one or two books, a well-made bed and two windows on either side of that bed that shone light into the room.

"This is... quite awing," I found myself saying.

"It works," Yue replied, seemingly bored. "Not really much to speak of though."

"Are you sure? I can see the sun starting to set from here."

"I never really was a big fan of the sun. Yeah, it shines in this room at dawn and dusk, but I am always downstairs managing the needs of patrons. I don't really have much time for pleasure."

"Why be an innkeeper then?"

"You hear lots of stories. Sell a man a pint, and he will give you money, but sell enough to him, he spills all sorts of juicy secrets."

"Spills? Are secrets like liquid?"

"Put in another perspective, maybe. When these males have enough beer in their stomach, you can overhear that they are working on a prestige project for the Fire Nation army, or are in an affair with a Water Tribe girl when married to an Earth Kingdom woman. Get a Dai Li agent drunk enough, and they'll happily spill the details about a top secret assignment about Ba Sing Se that they weren't supposed to reveal to anyone. If you are prepared to overlook the other contents they spill, then you can probably repackage that information and sell it to the enemy of who you want dead or crippled. Then, in the morning, if they are unlucky, their superiors haul them over the coals and feed them to the Platypus-Bears for something they can't even remember."

"But... isn't it wrong to talk about others' secrets?"

"Depends how you look at it. I don't see anything wrong with getting a little payback against someone who has robbed you. Sometimes, the reverse is so much truer, it makes your legs give out with ecstasy just to watch them suffer."

"But why would you want people to suffer? Why can someone enjoy hurting someone else?"

"Good question, but let me ask you: did your parents openly express joy when they did what they did to your hands?"

"I don't... know. They sounded scared at the time. I was just making magic when Mother screamed for Father."

"Ha! One of those types of people?" Yue began laughing, staying that way for some time before wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"They're all bark and no bite. People like that like to talk about fighting against Benders, but when it comes down to it, when you show them that you are the one in charge and not them, they cry like little kids. If they broke your hands, I'm assuming that either your Bending was very weak or you left them an opening."

"What should I do if I can't go back?"

"Depending on how things go in the next few days, you can stay with me. Maybe if we get your Bending properly trained up, you can go back and break their hands for a change."

"I don't know if I want to do that."

"One thing you have to learn about life is that many times you have to do things you don't want to. It's part of the reasons why other inns forbid patrons from quaffing their drinks or ordering third refills. But me being a Waterbender deals quite well with the... overflow from many of the drinkers, so I don't really mind."

"Aren't Waterbenders in one of the Water Tribes?"

"This isn't the Hundred Year War, Teo," she stated, guiding me to the bed. "Nowadays, you can find benders of every type except maybe Air if you look hard enough or get lucky. I'm willing to bet there are even Firebenders in the Water Tribes. Also, look at the United Republic of Nations: Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders and whatever Airbenders Ozai didn't snuff out living together."

"Have you been there?" I asked, as Yue helped me into the bed, being careful not to let my hands touch anything.

"I may have been, but you probably can't stomach something like that at this stage. The crimelords had a lot of pull some time ago, but nowadays, the Triads are losing their grip."

"Triads?" By this time, she was pulling the bed-sheet over my body.

"Yes, the criminal groups of Republic City. Mainly divided by bending, but nowadays, there are the Firebenders of the Agni Kai Triad, the Waterbenders of the Red Monsoon Triad and the Earthbenders of the Terra Triad. There's also the Triple Threat Triad, with all three Bending groups."

"Just those four?"

"At the height of the crime lords' power, there was also three Triads that incorporated two bender types each, but all three of those were effectively destroyed when Yakone was run out of town. So yes, it is just those four for all intents and purposes."

"Who is Yakone?"

"That's a story for another time. I need to get back to the patrons, but I'll be back with some food and water. Just don't put pressure on your hands."

At that moment, she left the room, leaving me in the light of the sunset.


	4. Chapter 4: Care

Chapter 4: Care

Yue left me in the room, under the fur of her bed's covers. I was able to feel my hands after her work with her water, but although it didn't hurt as badly at the time, I still had trouble forgetting about what happened. Why did they break my hands?

At least I could see the orange glow of the setting sun shining in through Yue's window. The rest of the room appeared to be books, with a lot of them just being strewn around the floor by the door. All I could see of the books was that they all had deep crimson covers, and what books were open lay either with their pages facing the ceiling or on some surface such that only the covers were visible. From where I lay, I couldn't make out what writing I could see.

There was also a vase with a few red flowers on the bedside table Another vase, this one on a desk by a window, held what I recognised as fire lilies. Whatever Yue was, she seemed to love flowers, but it confused me at the time as to why she would keep the red flowers and not have any other color flower in a vase.

The door creaked open, and in came Yue with a tray laden with bread, a cup of water and what appeared to be pig-chicken, and laid it down on the bedside table. I raised my one hand towards the tray when-

"No, Teo," Yue spoke, grabbing my wrist. "Your hands are nowhere near fixed. If you tried to eat something, you'll only be aggravating the pain."

"But I need to eat-"

"I'll help you with that. The pig-chicken still needs to be cut up. The meat is much better if you take a knife to the fine parts on the skin. Sinking your teeth into a few strips of the meat can be so much better than just taking a mouthful." At that point, she started to bury a knife blade in the pig-chicken.

"What about the water?"

"You forget: I'm a Waterbender. I can just bend the water into your mouth."

"I could really use the water right now. I'm surprised my mouth isn't dry yet."

"Say no more." Yue put the knife down on the tray and waved her hand at the water. A few globs of water rose up from the cup and, as she waved her hand in my direction, the water shot into my waiting mouth, splashing on my tongue. That feeling as I swallowed... it seemed like life was flowing back into the dry, cracked passage that was my throat.

She continued bending drops of water into my mouth until the cup was drained. Then came the pig-chicken, with thin strips on knives being pushed into my mouth. As each strip was separated from the knife blade, I chewed down, feeling just how juicy that pork-poultry was. After that came another strip of meat, then another, and another, until it was all gone.

Finally came the bread, which she broke up into smaller pieces, placing a few of the smallest pieces in my mouth one by one. Again, I chewed, swallowed, and felt a little bit of myself returning to normal as it sank into my stomach, and just like with the pig-chicken, quieting the persistent hunger inside me.

The sunlight was almost gone by the time I finished the bread, but there was still some form of light with a desk lamp. Yue left the room, but returned later with a bucket of water, which she placed on the bed.

"Hands in the water, Teo."

"Wouldn't it work just as well to bend the water onto my hands?" I asked.

"I could, but this is easier for me. Besides, I told you this morning that you need a lot of work."

I slowly dipped my hands into the water, but as soon as my wrists were submerged, the water started glowing slightly, just like before in the river. "Huh?" I couldn't help but ask, as Yue only started making motions slightly after.

"What is- oh," she spoke, looking at the faint glow. "Waterbender, eh?"

"I'm a... Waterbender?"

"Well, I haven't started healing you yet, and it only glows like that if a Waterbender uses it for healing, so you are one such healer."

"But the water isn't glowing as bright, and I don't know how I'm doing it."

"Healing can be done on instinct; I think it happened once with Katara when she got herself burned. The damage she suffered is nothing in comparison to what you've been through, so it's probably better if I throw my more seasoned efforts in." She dipped her own hands in the water bucket, and it glowed even brighter.

"Katara? You mean the legendary wife of Avatar Aang?"

"That's correct."

"That's about all I know, though. It was part of a history class in school, and Mother and Father forbade me from doing any more research into the topic of that 'bender she-witch' as they called her."

"She's got a bit of fame to her name, I'll give her that. In addition to being Aang's wife, she is a renowned healer, mother of the first Airbending master since the Hundred Year War and anti-Bloodbending advocate who successfully got the practice outlawed."

"What's Bloodbending? I thought there was only Air, Water, Earth and Fire."

"Maybe later, Teo. I don't think you want to hear the answer at this stage."

"Excuse me, Yue..." a voice called from behind the closed door, "... but I think your Fire Lilies downstairs need watering."

"Oh, really? Thanks for the reminder," Yue called at the door, turning to me, with the water's glow dimming heavily. "Listen, Teo, I just have to take care of something. Shouldn't be long, but until then just keep your hands in the water."

"What for?" I asked.

"You heard him; I need to water my downstairs Fire Lilies. What with the amount of hustle and bustle in the tavern, it's not surprising that I forgot to tend to them."

She stood up off the bed, and walked out of the room. I just kept my hands in the water, with the surface of it having a slight glow. During that time, I kept thinking: I could create sparks and cause water to glow: Firebending and Waterbending. Could it be that my classmates were wrong about me not being the Avatar?

Wait, of course not. The cycle has always been one of Air, Water, Earth, Fire, so why should it suddenly change from 'Air to Fire' this time instead of remain as 'Air to Water'.

But I could bend multiple elements. Only the Avatar was capable of that.

On the other hand, if I was the Avatar, I'd have probably been identified much sooner. Besides, it'd probably be apparent if I was the Avatar, because people treated him with respect and not the scorn I had to deal with.

Then again, Avatar Aang had to put up with scorn from the Fire Nation and parts of the Earth Kingdom, so maybe this was just par for the course?

But Avatar Aang died some time ago, and an Avatar usually reincarnates into another child upon death. I was born too late after the death to have any chance of being the Avatar.

Yet I could bend two elements.

But who is to say that I can bend the remaining two?

The door opened again, with Yue returning to the bed and dipping her hands in the bucket of water that mine were submerged in. "You look like you're thinking about something."

"Yue," I began, "...do you know who the current Avatar is?"

"All I really know is that the new Avatar is a native to the Southern Water Tribe. Not much else though; information from there is surprisingly scarce."

"But if the next Avatar was found, shouldn't he be known to the public?"

"Probably, but for some reason the people there are very secretive on the subject last I heard, and there's a constant vigil kept by the White Lotus. They seem to be hellbent on not letting any information leak out of the tribe."

"Any idea why?"

"No. Curiously, they seem to be even less talkative than the Dai Li on the subject."

"What are these Dai Li?"

"Oh, they're the Earth Monarch's hidden hands, making sure everything is orderly in the city of Ba Sing Se. Otherwise, Teo?"

"Yes?"

"I know you need to stay with me while I heal your hands, but I just need to lay down a few ground rules. Just with me running the inn, it is going to be a bit hard to juggle everything, so I need to find some way to relieve the stress."

"What are these rules?"

"First, I will need you to stay up here until your hands are healed. A number of these people might try and shake hands, which could undo all our work thus far, and the others might get funny ideas in their heads."

"Just stay up here?"

"Don't worry, I'll come by with food and water every so often. Secondly, I don't really allow anyone else up here and there's a lot of personal stuff that I don't want to show people."

"Why not?"

"Some things are just too embarrassing or painful to show off. So, if you want to read anything, just let me know when I get back up here and I'll tell you if it's fair game."

"Okay, that makes a bit more sense."

"Thirdly, on the off-chance that someone knocks on this door, do not answer them. It shouldn't be a major problem during the day, as I am mostly downstairs, but otherwise, don't answer them. If they come up here, they're either burglars or people looking specifically for me."

"Okay?"

"Fourth; after your hands are healed, please do not explore any of the other rooms or cellars. The rooms may have people resting in them, and the cellars are where I keep my drinks, most of which you won't be able to handle at your age."

"I guess that's fine, but what do you mean by after my hands heal?"

"Well, now that I know you are a Waterbender, I'm going to train you to become more proficient in the art. Well, that's after your hands heal, but once you've improved your bending skills, you'll be able to heal much better, and also defend yourself from any attackers that seem intent on breaking your hands."

"I understand, I think"

"Exquisite, Teo. Normally, per this inn's policy, you'd need to be accompanied by an adult, but I can see that you don't have anyone. Also, since I'm healing you, I'm going to keep you in my room. As long as you follow the rules I've set above."

Yue continued healing my hands into the night, but eventually beckoning me to sleep in the one side of the bed. Thus my first day with her came to an end, and while trying to move my fingers still sparked immense pain, at least it wasn't constant.


End file.
